What they're saying about the Ravens' draft

After months of preparation, the draft analysts have shifted their focus from projecting who teams would draft (with limited success) to grading the players the teams actually did select.

These are typically exercises in reputation worship and common sense work: if you have a history of drafting well, you probably drafted well again this year. And if you had a ton of picks, you probably picked a lot of players who could be good, because you picked a lot of players.

So with all that said, here’s a breakdown of the Ravens’ draft grades from some national experts. A lot of them really liked it:

Kiper said the Ravens get an A-minus for value in regards to linebacker C.J. Mosley (first round), defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (second round), and safety Terrence Brooks (third round), but gave the team a B-minus grade for filling needs like running back and offensive line.

Burke said that “from a strict talent-and-value perspective, the Ravens may have done as well as any other team in the draft.” He wrote that Mosley could be a Defensive Player of the Year front runner, and touted the potential of Jernigan and Brooks. He too, however, knocked the grade for the team not drafting much offensive line help.

Rosenthal didn’t distribute letter grades, but said the Ravens were one of a few teams who could call itself a winner. He called it a “classic Ravens draft” and said Mosley “should make an impact right away, and we love second-round defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan.”

Fischer said general manager Ozzie Newsome “is cleaning up in 2014.” In addition to the early picks, he cited fourth-round picks Brent Urban and Lorenzo Taliaferro as a developmental talent and “Ray Rice insurance,” respectively.

Rang said Newsome “rarely has flashy drafts, but when your roster is stacked that’s going to happen.” Rang, like so many others, is high on Mosley, Brooks, and Jernigan, while he praised the upside of third-round tight end Crockett Gillmore and potential impact of wide receiver Michael Campanaro.

Prisco said the Ravens’ best pick was Brooks, while questioning the lack of offensive linemen selected. Still, he said the Ravens “landed a lot of talent in this draft,” and “do a nice job with the draft.”

The folks at Fox Sports said the Ravens got a top-10 talent in Mosley to pair with veteran linebacker Daryl Smith, and said Gillmore has “great hands” and can get some immediate playing time in the new offense.